1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to article display devices and, more particularly, to a device into which articles are loaded and normally urged into a display position.
2. Background Art
It is common to display merchandise in retail establishments in devices having elongate rails and pushers guided on the rails and biased so as to urge articles into a display position. One exemplary structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No 3,308,961, to Chesley. A pusher plate 28 is guided in fore and aft movement on spaced rails 32 fixedly secured to a support shelf. A coil spring 34 biases the pusher plate 28 towards the front of the device so that articles engaged thereby are biased into a display position.
While devices such as that shown in Chesley have proven effective for their intended purpose, they have numerous drawbacks. First, Chesley discloses an intricate arrangement of numerous elements Resultingly, the costs attendant the manufacture of such a device are relatively high.
Further, the Chesley components must be manufactured and assembled to close tolerances to be operable. A flaw in one of the rails 20, which are inherently prone to being bent in use, can render the entire device inoperable.
A further drawback with the Chesley device is that it must be custom built to match individual shelf configurations. It is therefore impossible to make a universal design for different retail establishments. On site assembly by skilled personnel may be required.
If one attempts to make a standard structure, the structure would be made to accommodate the largest anticipated number of articles. If only a few articles are in the display, a large unsightly structure remains in place, which makes the remainder of the shelf unuseable.
A still further drawback with a structure, such as that in Chesley, is that once in place, the device lacks versatility. That is, it is designed for a specific width article and a specific arrangement of articles along the width of the shelf. Should one desire to change shelf locations for specific articles, one would have to disassemble and reconstruct or replace the device on a different shelf. The inconvenience to a store operator is apparent.
The device such as that in Chesley is also inconvenient from a manufacturer's standpoint. Many different parts must be made and inventoried. The rails are long and thus take up a considerable amount of space. Because of the intricate interconnection of parts, variation in one dimension of the Chesley device, as required by one user, may require a redesign of the entire structure, which may not be feasible given the price ceilings contended with by manufacturers.